A Church for the Cedar Valley

The Sent Church story began in the fall of 2010 when Pastor Jonathan Barthalow started a small group Bible study at the University of Northern Iowa. The following year, I (Daniel) started school at UNI, met Jonathan, and became part of the very first Chi Alpha service. At that service, I met 15 other students who wanted to see the kingdom of God established on the campus. One of those students was Emily, who I would later marry.

Over the next four years, we pursued our college friends with the love of Jesus both at UNI and later at the University of Minnesota after we moved to Minneapolis so I could study at North Central University.

While at North Central, God gave me an intense burden for church planting. During a chapel service, I felt Him speak clearly to me that I was called to plant churches in Iowa. Just as Jonathan had sacrificed to see Chi Alpha established at UNI, God was calling me to give my life to seeing churches planted across Iowa.

In 2015, God opened a door for us to return to UNI to reestablish Chi Alpha as the campus directors. Our mission was to revitalize the ministry and catalyze a movement of students who were willing to give everything for Jesus. Over the next five years, God moved powerfully on the campus as hundreds of students gave their lives to Christ, were baptized, and were raised up for ministry.

In 2019, we sensed the Lord leading us to plant a church in the Cedar Valley. We believed He wanted the church to be called Sent Church because we weren’t meant to exist just for ourselves, but to be a people sent by God to help others encounter His love.

Despite the uncertainty of 2020, we stepped out in faith and officially launched Sent Church on September 13, 2020, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cedar Falls. God was incredibly faithful in those early months as He captivated the hearts of students, young adults, and families who helped form the foundation of the church.

In the spring of 2021, after 16 months of prayer, God miraculously provided our first church property on Prairie Street. On Palm Sunday 2021, we held our first service in the building. Over the next several years, we experienced incredible growth as lives were transformed, people were baptized, leaders were developed, and hundreds of thousands of dollars were given toward missions and Kingdom Builders initiatives.

By 2023, we had outgrown our facility and began praying about what was next. Around that same time, the city informed us that expanding our Prairie Street property would require nearly $1 million in utility upgrades before construction could even begin. As we prayed and fasted for direction, God began speaking to us in remarkable ways through prophetic words, dreams, and open doors.

Just weeks later, Grace Community Church in Cedar Falls approached us about a potential merger. Grace had deep significance for our family—it was the church where Emily and I worshiped before planting Sent, where I preached my first sermon, and where our oldest daughter was dedicated.

On December 31, 2023, the merger was finalized, and we began renovating the building on Hudson Rd to prepare for the future of Sent Church. Just six weeks later, a fire broke out during renovations. What initially felt like a devastating setback became part of God’s provision as the insurance payout helped launch a larger multi-million-dollar expansion project.

On Palm Sunday 2025, four years after our first service at Prairie Street, we officially moved into our new building on Hudson Rd. Since then, God has continued to bring significant growth as more families, college students, and people from across the Cedar Valley have found a home at Sent Church.

In early 2025, we began sensing that God was calling Sent Church into a new season of multiplication. As we prayed, it became clear that the Lord was raising up a team from within our church to help plant a new church in Iowa City and reach the University of Iowa campus.

In 2026, my brother Derek Quinby answered that call after years of serving as the Chi Alpha Director at UNI. Around the same time, our Youth & Mission Pastor, Noah Ruchti, also sensed God calling him to help pioneer a new Chi Alpha ministry at the University of Iowa. Together, they are preparing to launch Chi Alpha at the University of Iowa in the fall of 2026, with plans to plant Seek Church in Iowa City in 2027.

Today, Sent Church continues to grow as a multi-generational church with a heart for prayer, discipleship, revival, church planting, and global missions. We believe God has called us to raise up disciples who make disciples, send missionaries and church planters, and help people encounter the love and power of Jesus.

We don’t want to simply build a church people attend. We want to be a movement of people sent out by God to love the one, serve our cities, and change the world.

By Pastor Daniel